The three of them worked quickly to pack up their meager camp, with Kaiten flustered and sputtering in protest. Bags were packed and the remains of the deer were divided among the three of them. Ma’trii helped with the traveling preparations by retrieving any small items that had been left on the table or floors.
“Hey!” Kaiten said eventually. “You can’t just leave me here!”
“Well, you don’t want to come with us to Sagna, right? It will take too long if we go back through the Plaguelands to bring you to Rhodia, and honestly I’m never going back there again.” Kae said with a smile. “You’re perfectly free to travel back to your kingdom, your highness.” Beside her, Ma’trii snickered.
“Gods above, Ma’trii. Not you too.” Kaiten sighed, defeated. “Fine!”
“Fine what?”
“Fine, I’ll go with you. At least past the north and as close to the nearest Beastman garrison as possible. There should be one stationed at Hardwick, the city on the far side of the Imperial Highway.” Kaiten said.
Kae looked to Loren, who simply shrugged. “If we’re going to Sagna, we would have to pass through Hardwick anyway, then take the eastern side of the Imperial Highway towards Mount Volknar. Or go off the beaten path and risk running into the bandits that Seraphis mentioned. It would be faster, but certainly more dangerous.” Loren looked to Kaiten and smiled. The gold was gone from her eyes as she calmed down. “You are very welcome to join us for now.”
Loren set off for the gap in the ruined wall of the outpost without waiting for Kaiten’s reply. Kae and Ma’trii followed her quickly, with Cassendir bringing up the rear. The mage hesitated and glanced back at his new friend, but he had promised Loren long ago to see her adventure to its end. A blue light shone from inside his sleeve as he used some magic to keep himself warm, and disappeared into the snow, following the girls.
“Do you actually think he’s going to join us all that way?” Loren asked Kae once they were some distance from the outpost. The three of them had stopped by a large snow-covered rock while Ma’trii wandered in a wide circle to try and pick up Seraphis’s trail.
Kae shrugged. “He has to. No one in their right mind will go back through the Plaguelands, even if they survived it once. Besides, we have the rest of the deer meat. He’ll have to find his own rations if he’s going to go on his own.”
Loren sighed and adjusted the furs over her travelling cloak. The biting chill of the northern winds still seeped through the many layers of clothing she piled onto herself. “I just hope he’s not too stubborn to try anyway. He is still my friend and I do want to see him home safely. Especially after all he’s been through.”
“It’s alright. We can bring him to Hardwick and drop him off at the Beastman garrison he said is there.”
Cassendir politely cleared his throat, and Loren nodded to him, giving a signal that he may speak. “I believe leaving Prince Kaiten at Hardwick is a bad idea.”
“Why do you say that?” Loren asked.
“If I am correct, the Beastmen are still ruled by the usurper Doreos. That would include the Beastmen army, all its soldiers and spies and whatnot. If we turn over the rightful heir…” Cassendir trailed off.
“…And they turn Kaiten over to Doreos, and Doreos has him killed to remain the ruler of the Beastmen…” Loren picked up, eyes wide.
Silence fell between them as they realized the gravity of the situation. It seemed that no matter which direction Kaiten were to go, there was a high likelihood of him ending up dead. Kae swore loudly in frustration, startling a few birds from their roosts. A shower of snow fell on Loren and the huntress, and the two broke out laughing.
“What are you on about now?” a miserable sounding voice said, and once Loren had wiped the snow from her lashes, she saw it was Kaiten. The Beastman had emerged from the ruined outpost wearing a padded jerkin and leather trousers, ill fitting with his fur, but an added layer of protection from the cold all the same. “Are you making fun of me?”
“Kaiten! No, not at all. We’re glad you decided to join us!” Loren beamed. “Where did you get the clothes?”
“I took them off a Sagnian soldier when Seraphis and I were close to the border of the north.” Kaiten explained. He dug a claw into the neck of his jerkin and tried to loosen it from where it was tight around his mane.
“What happened to the soldier?” Kae asked.
“He died. Along with all the rest.” Kaiten shrugged. “Couldn’t be helped.”
“You see, that is why going back through the Plaguelands is a horrible idea.” Kae said pointedly to the Beastman prince. Ma’trii bounded up back to the group and nudged Kae in the leg before jerking his head towards a line of trees.
“Ma’trii says he found Seraphis and Duro’s trail. Great work, Ma’trii! Thank you for your dedication.” Kaiten said with a smile, bowing slightly to Ma’trii. Both Kae and Ma’trii himself stared at him.
“You can understand him?” Kae said in disbelief. “And you don’t think he’s am abomination?”
“Why on earth would I think that? He’s a Beastman, just like me or any other.” Kaiten said matter-of-factly. “The circumstances of his birth don’t make him any less one of my people. Honestly, having ferals be accepted into Beastman society
